Election Results 2020

The independent returning officer, Nicholas Joseph, declared on Friday 17 April at 12.30 that the following were duly elected as members of the UCU Branch Committee 2020-2021:

Chair:  Sean Broome

Vice Chair: Kulsoom Pridmore

Secretary: Claire Tupling

Membership Secretary: Ruth Mieschbuehler

Treasurer: Patrick Barber

Health and Safety Officer: Rosemary Horry

Equalities Officer: Teresa Forde

UDOL Rep: Prateek Adhikari

AWLP Rep: Carlton McDonald

Anti-Casualisation Officer: Ihsan Foster

Learning Rep: Joanna Poon

Past Chair: Dennis Hayes

UCU Branch Elections 2020

The UCU Branch Committee Elections 2020 are now open.

The election for UCU Branch Officers and Committee members is now open. Nominations for the following posts are welcome. The existing post-holder’s name is in brackets.

Chair (Dennis Hayes); Vice-Chair (Kulsoom Pridmore); Secretary: (Claire Tupling); Membership Secretary (Ruth Mieschbuehler); Treasurer (Vacancy); Heath and Safety Officer (Rosemary Horry); Equality Officer (Teresa Forde); AWLP Rep (Carlton McDonald); UDOL Rep (Prateek Adikari); Anti-Casualisation Rep (Ihsan Foster); FE Rep (Patrick Barber); Learning Rep: (Joanna Poon); and Committee Members (3).

Nomination forms are available here: Nomination Form 2020

The process of election is as described below:

The AGM will be held on Wednesday 20 May. Due to the coronavirus and the closure of the physical University this will be an AGM restricted to the formal election of the branch committee ONLY.

The nomination process will open on Monday 6 April and close on Friday 17 April at 12 noon. The election for any contested posts will open on Monday 20 April and close on Friday 8 May at 12 noon.

The results of the election will be posted here on 20 May and the  Regional Office and the University will be informed on that day.

The first face-to-face meeting of the new committee will be on Monday    5 October at 1 PM.

 

 

 

 

Support UCU Members on Strike in the East Midlands

This is a message from Agnes Flues and Dennis Hayes sent on behalf of UCU East Midlands Region:

Four HE branches in the East Midlands are on strike: De Montfort, Leicester, Loughborough and Nottingham.

UCU members in Branches not on strike can support them by going along to their picket lines, following them on twitter, sending messages of support, organising social events or other support activities (warm drinks and food deliveries if you are nearby) or donating to the local hardship fund (Nottingham). Full details can be found below.

The University of Nottingham UCU branch have organised a strike social on Wednesday 4 March from 7:30pm onwards at the Vat and Fiddle pub (NG2 1NB) – Jo Grady will be joining, there will be a few speeches, lots of music, dancing and beer. It would be great to see many of you there.

Details of pickets you can join:

Leicester: pickets 8-11am main location Victoria park entrance, @leicesterucu, ucu@le.ac.uk

Loughborough: pickets 7:30- 1:30am, @lboroUCU, ucu@lboro.ac.uk

De Montfort:  pickets 8-11am in five locations (incl child friendly picket), @UCU_DMU, dmunionise@gmail.com

Nottingham: pickets 7:30-11:30 in nine locations across four campuses, @UoNUCU, uonucubranch@gmail.com, Hardship fund: Bank account name: UCU Nottingham LA63, Account: 20346359, Sort code: 60-83-01

WHO to vote for? Vote Teresa FORDE

HE Members should have now received their HE Election Ballot papers. The University of Derby Branch is excited to let you know that  Teresa FORDE is standing for election to the National Executive Committee. The Branch unanimously endorses our long-standing activist, WHO is a TV specialist researching and writing on much-loved programmes like DR WHO.  Don’t just bin your papers – put a # 1 next to FORDE on page 2 of the Ballot Paper and don’t forget to post it!

Teresa sends you this message…

“I have worked in Higher Education for many years, initially as an Associate Lecturer and  Lecturer, and have gained experience and knowledge of the importance of communication and working to support members across a range of issues. I have been active at local and regional UCU committees and I am aware of the issues affecting members in the Midlands and I have developed links with colleagues across the region. I ask you to vote for me to represent the Midlands to continue to work to defend our rights and working practices. As a Senior Lecturer in Film and Television at the University of Derby, I also ensure that I always make time to catch up on Dr Who”.

Please ask friends and colleagues at Derby and other universities to vote for Teresa

 

Striking to Save Universities

In solidarity with East Midlands Universities on strike for eight days we re-publish, with permission, this great twitter feed from Dr Lee Jones (QMUL) on why staff are striking:

“You’ll get nothing from me for the next 8 days except #UCUstrike. I’ll explain why I and thousands of other university staff are striking here. Long thread, because there are a lot of grievances. /1 

Universities are at breaking point after years of marketisation.

Many ppl think unis are great places to work. Not really.

We’re overworked to the point of collapse. Academics work 2 unpaid days per week to cope with insane workloads. ucu.org.uk/media/8195/Wor… #UCUstrike /2 

Uni staff referrals to occupational health and counselling are up 77% and 67% from 2009-15. hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/upl…

43% of uni staff exhibit at least mild mental disorder,

More academics and students have mental health problems than ever beforeOne recent survey found that 43% of academic staff exhibited symptoms of at least a mild mental disorderhttps://theconversation.com/more-academics-and-students-have-mental-health-problems-than-ever-before-90339

and stress is worse than for cops/ medics

Half of UK academics ‘suffer stress-linked mental health problems’Scholars at greater risk of stress-related illness than police, medics and local authority staff, research suggestshttps://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/half-uk-academics-suffer-stress-linked-mental-health-problems

. #UCUstrike /3 

At my uni
– 41% of staff say they have no reasonable workload control
– 43% can’t strike decent work/life balance
– 64% say no effective policies to relieve workload pressures
– 44% witnessed bullying/ harassment just last year.
connected.qmul.ac.uk/media/connecte…

#UCUstrike /4 

Why is it so bad? Uni leaders now run campuses like businesses. They cram students in to get more income; drive down staff costs to divert money to buildings; and impose ever more work to game external metrics/ league tables, to get even more money and growth.

#UCUstrike /5 

At my uni, over last decade, student numbers rose 66% but academic staff rose only 33%.

At many unis, despite paying absurdly high fees, students face cramped seminar rooms & libraries & overworked, stressed staff with insufficient time to support them.

#UCUstrike /6 

This is a cause of profound distress to many academics. We are dedicated professionals, devoted to our students. It pains us that we don’t have the resources to do our jobs properly. It also pains us that we have no choice but to disrupt our teaching for #UCUstrike. /7 

A sign of the intensification of academic labour: at my uni, income per staff member increased 40% from 2008-18.

Meanwhile, our real-terms pay fell 21%.

Value of university staff pay has plummeted in last decade, employers’ own research revealsPay for university staff has plummeted in real-terms in the last decade, according to a report released by universities’ representatives.https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/10342/Value-of-university-staff-pay-has-plummeted-in-last-decade-employers-own-research-reveals

This is hyper-exploitation, pure and simple.

#UCUstrike /8 

According to my rough calculations, the take-home hourly pay of a newly-minted university lecturer is just £10.44, taking into account how many hours they actually work per week.”

University lecturers make just £10.44 per hour – Lee Jones – MediumAcademic and academic related staff at many UK universities are to take strike action over pay (and pensions, equalities, casualisation, and workload) from 25 November to 4 December. But digging…https://medium.com/@drleejones/university-lecturers-make-just-10-44-per-hour-a029f6abc5ce

#UCUstrike /9 

Yet as staff pay fell 21% in real terms over last decade, our Principal’s pay and perks package rose 32%, to £324,726 in 2017/18, when £2.2m also went on “key management personnel”. finance.qmul.ac.uk/media/finance/…

Inequalities seen in private sector now manifest in unis.

#UCUstrike /10 

And pay inequalities hit women and BAME colleagues hardest. At my uni, the gender pay gap is 14% and the BAME gap is 22%. hr.qmul.ac.uk/media/hr/forms…

This is typical of higher education.

UCU wants action to address this, too.

#UCUstrike /11 

Meanwhile, more and more academics are employed on short-term, hourly paid or even “zero hours” contracts. Some of this is legit, but a lot of it’s simply to expand unis on the cheap.

Universities accused of ‘importing Sports Direct model’ for lecturers’ payIn the latest in a series on the UK’s increasingly precarious world of work, we reveal how many institutions are charging higher student fees while more than half of lecturers are on non-permanent or…https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/nov/16/universities-accused-of-importing-sports-direct-model-for-lecturers-pay

#UCUstrike /12 

Many young academics, w/ student debt & years of foregone earnings, now compete ferociously for short-term jobs where they’re often ruthlessly exploited & can’t do research work needed to get permanent jobs. It’s grotesquely exploitative.

Universities accused of ‘importing Sports Direct model’ for lecturers’ payIn the latest in a series on the UK’s increasingly precarious world of work, we reveal how many institutions are charging higher student fees while more than half of lecturers are on non-permanent or…https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/nov/16/universities-accused-of-importing-sports-direct-model-for-lecturers-pay

#UCUstrike /13 

On top of all this, our pensions have been cut 3 times in last 8yrs, costing the average lecturer £240k in retirement. Some will have only £150/wk to live on. ucu.org.uk/media/10433/FA…

The old bargain was: crap pay but dignified retirement. Now that’s going, too.

#UCUstrike /14 

So what’s the strike about? Everything. Pay, pensions, workloads, equality, casualisation.

It’s about the dire realities of a failed experiment in marketising a public good.

We are trying to save universities, as well as ourselves.

#UCUstrike /15 

AWLP: Statement of 5 Guiding Principles

University of Derby UCU Branch – Five Guiding Principles for institutional and individual discussions about Academic Work Load Planning (AWLP). Their aim is to increase academic autonomy:

 

 

1. Transparency – AWLP should be a public and published process. Individual AWLPs should be available at all times and all staff records should be open;

2. Negotiation – What appears on individual AWLPs should follow a process of timely and open negotiation before the commencement of the academic year;

3. Teaching – All formal pedagogic interaction with students must receive an allocation of hours within the contractual 550 hours and such allocations must be uniform across the University;

4. Contract – All decisions about what appears on an individual AWLP must be as close as possible to the national contract;

5. Research – All staff identified as having SRR (Significant Responsibility for Research) should have an allocation of time out of the 550 contact hours.

   (Agreed by the Branch Committee in November 2019 and noted by the Regional Office)

    

 

 

 

 

Protect Our Pensions

On Wednesday 16 October at 13.00 in Room N111 (Kedleston Road),  UCU and UNISON are holding a joint meeting – our Speaker is Chris Mason, UCU  Regional  Pensions  Officer

Universities are keen on rhetoric about staff well-being while seeking to take away or reduce pension rights and ensure that staff spend their retirement in reduced circumstances or in poverty. Attacks are underway on the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) and the Local Government Pension Scheme. The Teachers’ Pension Scheme may well be next. At Derby the governing body are seeking a review of pension arrangements. Come along and hear about what is going on and why we need to defend our pensions nationally and locally.

Branch Activity 2019-20

The following issues will be taken up by the Branch after unanimous approval at the packed AGM/Branch Meeting held on Wednesday 15 May: 

Bullying 

‘The UCU Branch (along with the UNISON Branch) will investigate the nature and extent of bullying at the University.’

Pensions

‘This Branch opposes any attempts by the University to move away from the Teachers’ Pension or Local Government Pension Schemes’.

 The National Contract

‘This Branch will seek to move away from AWLP and return to the national contract with the three role descriptors (Research; Teaching and Research; Teaching and Scholarship) as the basis for determining our workloads at the University. This includes:  Appendix 1 (https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/1971/The-post-92-national-agreement) specifies that the appraisal process has to be developmental and must not be used for performance pay.’  

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR FUTURE ACTIVITIES 

Agenda for the 2019 AGM

Agenda for the AGM of the University of Derby Branch of the UCU to be held on Wednesday 15 May 2019 at 13.00 in Room N108 (Kedleston Road Campus). Light refreshments will be available.

Welcome by the Chair                                                                            

Minutes of the Previous AGM held on 16 May 2018                                      

Officers’ Reports: Chair, Treasurer – including appointment of auditors – Secretary, Membership Secretary, Health and Safety Officer, Equality Officer.

Results of the Elections to the Branch Committee (as signed off by the Returning Officer Dr Sean Broome) . The Following were elected:

Chair: Dennis Hayes 

Vice-Chair: Kulsoom Pridmore* 

Treasurer: Ann Wells 

Secretary: Claire Tupling  

Membership Secretary: Ruth Mieschbuehler  

Health and Safety: Rosemary Horry  

Equality Officer: Teresa Forde    

FE Rep: Patrick Barber*

UDOL Rep: Prateek Adhikari* 

AWLP Rep: Carlton McDonald*

(*) Late nominations accepted by the Branch Committee on 13/5/19 

Date of the Next AGM: Wednesday 13 May 2020

Agenda for the Ordinary Branch Meeting (following):                           

Motion 1:

 ‘This Branch opposes any attempts by the University to move away from the Teachers’ Pension or Local Government Pension Schemes’

Motion 2:

‘This Branch will seek to mover away from academic workload planning and  return to the national contract with the three role descriptors (Research Teaching and Research; Teaching and Scholarship) as the basis for determining our workloads at the University. This includes  Appendix 1 (https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/1971/The-post-92-national-agreement) which specifies that the appraisal process has to be developmental and must not be used for performance pay.’

AGM Calling Notice 2019

 

The AGM of the University of Derby Branch of the University and College Union will be held on Wednesday 15 May 2019 at 13.00 in Room N108 on the main campus – Kedleston Road.  

The election process is as follows:

The AGM of the University of Derby UCU Branch will be held on Wednesday 15 May 2018 – this is the process for the election of the Officers and Committee:

Friday 12 April: Notification of AGM was sent out to members with a call for Nominations Branch Officer and Committee posts – with nomination forms.

Posts for election are Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Officer, Equalities Officer, Anti-Casualisation Officer, Health and Safety Officer, AWLP Rep,, UDOL Rep., FE Rep., Buxton and Leek Rep., and Committee Members (3). The names of the current holders are on the web site:

Friday 3 May: 12.00 Deadline for return of ballot forms and the count by the returning officer Dr Sean Broome in room B109 at Kedleston Road or by email: s.j.broome@blc.ac.uk

If posts are contested there will be an election which will be completed by Friday 10 May.

Wednesday 15 May: AGM and Ordinary Meeting 12.00 – 13.00 Room N108 – Refreshments will be provided